Loom for weaving tubular fabrics.



No. 890,761. PTENTED JUNE 16, 1908. I C. H. DRAPBR.

LOOM FR WBAVING TBULR FABRICS.

APPLIUATIOH FILED JUNE s. 1907.

a SHBBTFSHEBT 1.

.j :i lunumnmu lil! x.

'n Vlllllllt PATENTED' JUNE 16, 1908.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. H. DRAPER.

PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

LOOM FR WBAVING TUBULAR FABRICS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 3. 1907.

s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' "mi i maling Si? [A ll n CLAREH. DRAER, OF HOPEDLE, MASSAGHUSETTS, ASSGNOR TO DRAPER CQMFANY, OF

HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORORTON lOF MANE.

honrar-on 'roseraie nannies.

Specification o Letters Patent.

?atented June 16, 1908.

Appiceton filed fune 8', 19m'. Serial No. 376,953.

To all whomy it may concern:

Beit known that l, CLARE Damen, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hopedale, in thecounty of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in-Loorns for Weaving Tubular Fabrics, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like-parts.

This invention relates to looms for wea'v4 i ing fabrics wherein the shuttle is carried ina `circular path through the tubular shed by means located insideof the tube of warp, and lt'has for one of its objects the production of means to prevent rotative movement of the 'reed independently of the warp. By restraining the reed from rotative movement in a positive manner' the warp threads are relieved from the lateral pull or strain dueto the eiort of the reed to rotate.

Other objects of my invention and novel features of construction will be fully de scribed inthe subjoined'specication and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

`Figure 1 is a front elevation and partial section of a sufficient portion of a loom .for Weaving tubular fabrics, illustrating one embodiment of my present invention; Fig. 2 is Aa top plan View of the parts below the horizontal line-.2-`2, Fig. 1, the cover plate for the upper harness-cam being omitted; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 8 3 Fig. 1, looking down,v Referring to Fig. 1 the base or bed 1 is provided with a standard 2 in which is rotaf tably mounted a tubular shaftor sleeve 3,

Aand an inclosed shaft 4, the latter having an end bearing onthe base 1 and being provided with a gear 5. A collar 6 on the sleeve vertically sustains the same, and at-its lower end the sleeve has an attached gear 7, lthe gears 5 and 7 meshing with a gear 8 fast on `a hori- `zontal driving shaft 9 mounted in suitable bearings on the base and driven from any suitable source of power. The sleeve 3 and shaft e are rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, Fig. 1, the sleeve being herein shown as'provided near its up per en/d with a ball-like enlargement 10, for a purpose to be described, and the u per end' of the shaft 4 has an attached bevel pinion il. The warp beams N aremounted on the base and in practice four beams may be used, a-

' ranged in a rectangle, only two op @site beams being shown by dotted lines ig. l, the war w assing from the beams under a suitab e guidey or guides 12 and thence u ward through leasing means 13 to the hef dles of the harnesses. Posts 14 erected on the base 1 support at' their upper ends takeup mechanism, the take-up roll 15 thereof being the only member of such mechanism herein shown, and forming no part of my resent invention, said posts also having ixedly secured to them two or more like rings lo, one slightly above the other and located above'the leasing devices in horizontal planes. These rings sustain the harnesses, which are of peculiar' construction, each consisting of an inner and an outer flexible member, preferably a metallic band, the two members being connected in substantial parallelism in the form of a short s iral or evolute with the heddles radially is oecd and carried.` by the two members.

i or convenience l have indicated the outer and inner members of the upper harness at H and HX, andsaid members in practice vmay be ilexihle steel bands, connected at suitable intervals by rods 17, the bands being in substantial parallelism andin the form of an evolute or short spiral, best shown in Fig. 2. Springs 18 attached-t0 the rings 16 and to the outer member support the harness at the outer part thereof, while the inner part is supported by followers 19 carried by ears 20 projecting inwardly from the member HX,

the followers traveling in the grooves of andf 90,

being upheld by an actuating cam, shown as a disk C. 'The lower harness is similar to the iip'er one, and comprises an outer member and an inner member HX connected bv 'tubular shed, opening the same in front of the circuiarly moving shuttle and closing the shed behind the shuttle, the camshaving like grooves. Said cams C and C arr'lixedly mounted on the sleeve 3 and are rotated thereby. Heddles hX are strung between the inner and outer members of each harness,

the heddles lying in a substantially hori- Zontal plane and being practically radially disposed,. though at the point where the planes of the shed cross there is some slightv distortion as at LX, Fig. 2.

In Flgs. 2 and 3 l have shown only sections ,of the heddles, in order toavoid confusing the drawing. As the cams rotate thecrossing point of the shed advances in the direction of arrow 100, Fig. 2, 'which arrow also indicates the movement of the shuttle, the shed opening in advance of'the shuttle and closing and crossing behind it, the harnesses being flexed or bent during such operation by or through the action of the cams on the followers. The upper cam C acts as a downhold to overcome any tendency of the followers of the cam C to liftout of the grooves therein, anda plate C3 is secured to the sleeve 3 above the cam C for a similar purpose rela? with a central socket member 25 arranged to loosely embrace the ball 10 on the sleeve 3,

so that a ballandsocliet connection is estab lished between the sleeve and reed, the latter being vertically' supported by the former. The reed is mounted to tip or gyrate about Ythe ball 10, and herein l effect thegyratory movement of the reed by anactuator' shown as an arm 26 having a foot 27 fastened to a part of the ball, the arm` extending radially and being bent down at itsouter end and provided with a roll 28 to travel 'upon the. top

leo.

of the ring 21 of the reed. vl\/[anifestly as the sleeve 3 revolves the roll 2S will move in a circular, horizontal path, and will impart to the reed a gyratory motion about the ball l0 als a center, thc reed being held from rotation by means to be'described. "lhe actuator 26 is also arranged to act as a shuttle-driver, the shuttle S, Fig. 3, being adapted to receive a bobbin and having'a delivery eye s for the thread, and herein I have shown the shuttle as providedl with rolls S to`travcl upon the innerfa'ceof the ring22', the warp threads of one division' passing u between the said ring and the'shuttle. ther rolls .92,on the inner'side of the shuttle are `arrangedilto cooperate with rolls 29 on the segmental extens1on'30 of the armor actuator. 26, in order'to drive the shuttle forward in thel direction of 'arrow 100',Fig. 2, while the warpthreads are permitted to' pass easily between the "rolls s2 and 29. The shuttle andfthefldriving device may be varied or changed according to convenience, and l have shown herein Substanz tially a form ofshuttle and 'driving devicen which has been 4used in looms of this character. In looms wherein a gyrating reed has been used the rotative movement of the reed has been restrained 'or prevented b the warp, but this'is objectionable, as it subjects the warp to undue strain and it also causes a deterioration in the product. To overcome this objectionable feature I have herein provided means to positively cooperate with the reed and prevent its rotative movement independently of the warp, so that the latter'is absolutely relieved of all strain dueto this cause. y

.Referring to Figs. l and 3, the-socket member 25 of the reed is shown as having upturned arms 31 which support at their upper ends a ring 32 having upon its inner circumterence gear teeth 33, the 'actuator 26 passing up within the ring 32 and then down outside of and below it, as clearly shown in Fi 1,..

the ring 32 being parallel tothe plane o the circular reed and above it,'. The bevell pinion 11 fast on the shaft 4 is,- it will be rememberedfrotating in a direction opposite to that. of the'shuttle, or in the direction of arrow 105, Fig. 3, and the internal ear 33 is at such an angle that its teeth w1 l mesh with the beveled teeth ofthe pinion 11. As the reed is gyrated one after another of its teeth will be brought into engagement with said pinion, the tendency of the gear 33, being t'o rotate with the shuttle, but as the pinion 11 is rotating oppositely the one tendency overcomes or 'neutralizes the other, and the reed is held from any rotative movement whatever. Such restraining action, however,v does not in the leastinterfere with or retard the free. gyratory movement of the reed, it

being un( erstood that'such movementserves to beat or press in the filling as it islaid by the shuttle.

I have illustrated herein only so much of` the loom as may be requisite lfor a' clear understanding of myfinvention, omitting various parts which form no part of the invention herein and which may be'of any usual or suitable construction, arrangement and operation.

`Having described my invention, lwhat l 'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a loom for weaving tubular fabrics, i

means to effect the formation of 'a tubular shed, an upright rotatable member concen,-

tric with the warp, a circular reed,`a ball and socket connection ,between it' and said u f right member, separate nmeans 'on and fixed connected with the latter to co crate wit the reed near; itsperiphery an impart a gyratory movement to the reed, and a positively operating device to restrain the reed from rotative movement.

" 2. In a loom for Weaving tubular fabrics,

means to effect the termationvof ai'ftubular with the reed to seo-,761

shed, a vertical shaft and a surrounding sleeve concentric with the Warp, means to rotatel theshaft and sleeve in opposite directions, a circular reed, a ball and socket supporting connection between it and the sleeve permitting gyratory movement of the reed, an actuator rotating with Athe sleeve and cooperating With the reed tov gyrate the latter, and a positive connection between the rotate ing shaft and the reed to prevent rotative movement of the latter.

3. In a loom for weaving tubular fabrics,

vmeans to effect the formation of a tubular shed, a vertical shaft and a surrounding sleeve concentric with the warp, means to rotate the shaft and sleeve in opposite directions, .a circular'reed, a sulpporting connec- Vtionbetween'lt and the s eeve, permitting gyratory movement of the reed, an actuator rotating with the sleeve and coperating yrate the latter, a pinion on the rotating slgiaft, and an internal gear carried' by the reed and meshing with the pinion, the enga ement of the gear and pinllon restraining t e reed from rotative movement.. Y f

4. Ina loom for Weaving tubular fabrics,

I means to effect the formation of a ltubular shed, a vertical shaft and4 a surrounding sleeve concentric with the-warp, 'means to rotate the shaft and sleeve in opposite directions, "a circular reed, a ball and socket connection between it and the sleeve, permitting -gyratory movement of the reed while the sleeve \rotates, separate means positively connected With the sleeve to gyrate the reed and drive the shuttle through the shed, a

shuttle, and means acting through'the shaft upon the reed to prevent rotative movement of the latter.

5. In a loom for weaving tubular fabrics,

, means to form a tubular shed, a circular reed,

a rotating support on which the reed is mounted to gyrate, an actuator fixedly con v nected with said support and havingA a traveliing engagement Withthe reed near its periphery to impart gyratory movement thereto,` and means, including a member rotating oppositely `to said su port, to coperat'e with and restrain tlie 'ree from rotative movement. 6. In a loom. for weaving tubular fabrics, harnesses each comprising inner and outer flexible members 'substantlall'y in parallelism, spacing connections between and` to retain' said members in substantial parallelism when flexed, radially disposed heddles attached to said inner and outer members, and an actuating cam for and operatively connected with each harness.

7. In a loom for weaving tubular fabrics, harnesses each comprising inner and outer flexible members, spacing connections. be-

tween and to retain said members in sub-' stantial parallelism, radially disposed hed- -dles attached to said inner and outer members, and lying in a substantially horizontal:

plane, the two harnesseslying one a'bove the other and cooperating with the warp to form and operatively connected with each harness, each cam having a continuous groove comprising inner and outer intersecting lobes.

8. In a loom forweaving tubular fabrics, harnesses each comprising two connected flexible metallic bands in parallelism and arranged in a substantiallyk spiral form, andA radially disposed heddles sustained by and between the two bands, cams to actuate the harnesses to open and close a tubular shed, a

a tubular shed, yielding supporting devices for the harnesses, and an actuating cam for'A concentric with 'the reed, a ball and socket connection between the reed and the sleeve, a shuttle-driving and reed-actuating arm extended vradially from the sleeve, to drive the .shuttle in a .circular path and having a travely ing engagement with the periphery )of and to impart a gyratory movement to the reed,

harness cams fast on the sleeve, to operate the harnesses, and a device to engage and revent rotative movement ofthe reed w 'le permitting gyratory movement thereof. l

In testimonyl whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the-presence ofy two subscribing Witnesses.

n CLARE j HQ ERAPER.'

Wltnesses: v

FRANK J. DUTCHER, EUGENE BEAUDRY. 

